Operation AGRICOLA. On 12th June 1999, 5 Airborne Brigade spearheaded the KFOR advance into Kosovo by securing the Kacanik Defile ahead of the ground forces. The Brigade's joint airmobile operation with the UK support helicopter force followed a rapid strategic insertion to theatre. The painting, commissioned by HQ 5 Airborne Brigade, depicts a composite scene, albeit an accurate interpretation, toward the northern end of the defile early on 12th June. From the left, a Pathfinder patrol; a Medium Machine Gun team from 1 PARA; a reconnaissance section (in Land Rovers) from 1st Bn Royal Gurkha Rifles; a 3 PARA tom; a mine clearance team from 9 Para Squadron Royal Engineers; 216 Para Signal Squadron TACSAT; with Brigade HQ command group in their rear. Above are Chinooks from 18 & 27 Squadrons RAF, with a Puma from 33 Squadron RAF on the bridge, with Apache helicopters of the US Army providing flank protection. The painting is representative of the combined, joint, all-arms grouping of 5 Airborne Brigade on the day.

The Boeing-Vertol CH-47 Chinook is a tandem rotor twin engine heavy lift military helicopter. The Chinook helicopter was designed by Boeing Vertol in the early 1960s but is now produced by Boeing Integrated defence Systems. Over 16 countries use the Chinook for their armed forces. The US Army and Royal Air Force use the Chinook extensively and it is the heaviest llifting helicopter in their service. The Chinook has been used in many conflicts including the Vietnam War, The Falklands Conflict, Iran - Iraq war and in recent times the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. The Chinook primary roles are in troop movement and battlefield re supply. In the 1960s the Chinook with its speed of 196 MPH was faster than the attack helicopters of the day, and is still in production with nearly 2000 helicopters being built.

David Rowlands has had a passion for sketching British soldiers and their equipment ever since he was a boy. After completing his studies at Manchester University in 1977, he joined the staff of the Reading Room at the National Army Museum, working full-time as a professional artist. Keenly interested in the history of British campaigns, uniforms and tactics, he has painted many historical battle scenes with great attention to accuracy and detail. This has resulted in widespread recognition of his work with the result that he has been commissioned to record the activities of many Regiments in the present day. These commissions have taken him frequently to Northern Ireland, as well as Germany, Cyprus, Hong Kong and Gibraltar. In 1991 David Rowlands was the only artist invited by the Army to visit the Gulf. Attached to a Warrior crew of 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, he observed the work of the various Arms at first hand, enabling him to complete many accurate paintings for Regiments and Corps engaged in the conflict. Early in 1993 he was the first war artist to visit Bosnia and record the British troops in Operation GRAPPLE 1. Invited by Headquarters National Support Element, he travelled extensively on convoys and sketched the operations from Split to Vitez and Travnik. Several paintings have been commissioned by the participating units, including one of 7 Armoured Workshop REME at Gornji Vakul. Over the past ten years David has been sent regularly to Iraq and Afghanistan for projects involving many of the British and Nato forces. He has probably spent as much time overseas gathering information for these projects as he has spent in the UK. He is certainly one of the major military artists of the past 20 years. Many of these fine paintings are now available as signed edtion art prints and canvases.